Light (4×6.5)
May 1940. }} The Light (ライト) is a Japanese camera using 127 film, distributed in 1940 by Sasaki Shōten, then by Tōyō Shōkai and Yamamoto Shashinki-ten. The Light was perhaps related to with the Mycro subminiature camera: both were distributed by Sasaki until October 1940, Mycro distributed by Sasaki until October 1940: Awano, p.3 of no.274. and a November 1940 advertisement by Tōyō Shōkai and Yamamoto Shashinki-ten displays the two cameras together. Advertisement in November 1940 reproduced in Awano, p.7 of no.274 (the caption says November 1939 by mistake). Description The Light is a dual-format camera, taking 4×6.5cm and 3×4cm exposures. The lens and shutter assembly is mounted on a telescopic tube. The top and bottom plates have a chrome finish. The viewfinder is slightly offset to the left — as seen by the photographer — and is contained in a rectangular casing, with a built-in accessory shoe. A small circular depression is faintly visible at the front of this casing, perhaps meant to look like a rangefinder window. There are knobs at both ends of the top plate, certainly to imitate the layout of 35mm cameras. One of them is certainly used to advance the film, whereas the other would have no particular purpose. The bottom plate is removable for film loading, Column in May 1940, p.831. and the back is presumably fixed, as on contemporary Leica cameras. Incidentally, the Light logo which appears on the original documents — and perhaps on the camera too — was blatantly copied on the contemporary Leica logo. The lens is a Light Anastigmat, but it is unclear if it has f/6.3 or f/4.5 aperture (see below). The shutter is everset and has a limited range of speeds (B, 1/25, 1/50, 1/75 and 1/150). It is called Colt in the original documents. Column in May 1940, p.831; advertisements in April 1940, p.A32, and May 1940, p.A29, and advertisements reproduced in , p.100, and in Awano, p.7 of no.274. It seems that the name NEW–COLT is inscribed at the top of the shutter plate, though some documents show a Light logo instead, presumably the result of a retouch (see below). Commercial life The Light was advertised in from March to November 1940. , p.342. The advertisements dated April to June were inserted by Sasaki Shōten, whereas that dated November was jointly placed by Tōyō Shōkai and Yamamoto Shashinki-ten. Advertisements in April 1940, p.A32, and May 1940, p.A29; advertisement in June 1940 reproduced in , p.100; advertisement in November 1940 reproduced in Awano, p.7 of no.274 (the caption says November 1939 by mistake). The Light was also featured as a new product in the May issue of the same magazine, reproduced above. All the documents list the camera at and an ever-ready case at ¥7. The November advertisement lists another cheaper case at ¥5.50. The advertisements dated April to June seem to show the same picture with a varied amount of retouch. The picture displayed in April has a Light logo at the top of the shutter plate, whereas that displayed in May and June has the words NEW–COLT instead, in white on a black background, and is presumably closer to the camera's true aspect. The picture dated November is taken from the same angle but perhaps shows a different camera: the name NEW–COLT is now inscribed in black on a white background, the lens bezel is silver instead of black, and there is an additional Light logo above the viewfinder casing. The available documents contradict themselves on a few points. All the advertisements mention a "helicoid-style" (ヘリコイド式) camera, but the news column explicitly says that the camera is not focused by a helix but by turning the lens front element. The lens maximum aperture is quoted as f/6.3 in the advertisements and as f/4.5 in the news column. The pictures do not allow to decide for sure, though they seems to show an f/6.3 lens with no focus control at all. The Light certainly met with limited success, and no surviving example has been recorded so far. The camera does not appear in the official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, presumably because it was longer in production. . Notes Bibliography Original documents * May 1940. "Atarashii kikai to zairyō" (新しい機械と材料, New equipment and machinery). P.831. * . Advertisements by Sasaki Shōten: ** April 1940, p.A32; ** May 1940, p.A29. * The Light does not appear in this list. Recent documents * Item 290. * Awano Mikio (粟野幹男). "Maikuro kamera (senzenhen)" Mycro cameras (prewar). In no.274 (April 2000). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. Pp.1–10. The Light is not listed in . Category: Japanese 4x6.5 viewfinder Category: L